


The Inevitable Take Five AU

by tsuristyle



Category: SMAP
Genre: M/M, and Mori runs a coffee shop, in which SMAP are a team of thieves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 17:36:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9000238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsuristyle/pseuds/tsuristyle
Summary: Nakai and his team of kleptomaniacs get back in business after a few years in jail, with the help of an archnemesis, relationships old and new, and too many cups of coffee.(Written March 2014.)





	1. Chapter 1

Nakai passed through the gates and out into the real world. The world of the free. The world of the innocent. It had been three years since he'd last stood on this side of the gates, and at the moment all he wanted to do was get as far away from them as possible.  
  
He sped up, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned onto the main road.  
  
"Nakai-kun, wait up!"  
  
Behind him, Tsuyoshi raced out of the gates and sprinted to catch up. "Don't leave without me," he panted, tugging at Nakai's sleeve. "The others are getting out today too, remember?"  
  
Nakai kept walking. Tsuyoshi fell into pace with him. He'd been Nakai's roommate for those three years, after all. He'd learned to read Nakai better than he ever had before. Of course, he'd had someone else to worry about reading before.  
  
"We'll have to walk home, I guess." Tsuyoshi glanced up and down the empty road. "Think anyone will be there yet?"  
  
"If we still _have_ a place." They passed by a row of chained-up bicycles. Tsuyoshi looked them over with interest.  
  
"I'm sure Mori-kun will have kept the place up for us. Just think, we'll each have our own rooms again! I'll bet Shingo and Goro will be happy to get away from each other."  
  
Nakai snorted. "Their fault for choosing to be roommates for three years."  
  
Tsuyoshi eyed another row of bikes. "Well, it was better than the alternative, right?" His face softened suddenly, turning faraway.  
  
Nakai stopped at the end of the row, crouching to fiddle with the lock on the last bike. "I'm sure he was fine."  
  
Tsuyoshi smiled as the chain clattered to the ground. "Yeah. Let's go see everyone."  
  
~  
  
Tsuyoshi was right: Mori was there in his usual place behind the counter, serving coffee to the patrons of Sweet Engine Coffee like he'd never moved. He greeted them both with enthusiasm between customers and handed them their keys to the second floor.  
  
Goro and Shingo were already back, Goro cleaning the kitchen of three years of dust, Shingo lounging on the couch complaining about much cleaning needed to be done. It was so normal that Nakai had to smile; you could go home again, after all.  
  
"You're back!" Shingo all but leaped off the couch, enveloping Tsuyoshi in an enormous bear hug. "I was worried about you, Tsuyopon! You didn't get hurt or anything, right? No one tried to bother you?"  
  
Tsuyoshi patted Shingo's back fondly. "It's okay, Shingo. I was with Nakai-kun."  
  
Shingo let him go, turning to Nakai. Goro came up behind him. "Everything was alright?"  
  
Nakai nodded. "Just thieves among thieves. You?"  
  
They glanced at each other. "A little fighting," Goro admitted. "But we made sure no one would hurt us." Shingo grinned in a slightly unsavory way.  
  
"Good." Nakai looked around. Everything was exactly as they'd left it, if a little dusty. Just one thing missing...  
  
"Kimura-kun's not back yet," Shingo said, as if reading his mind. "But they said he'll get out today. Anyway, Mori put a bunch of beer in the fridge, so let's start celebrating!"  
  
~  
  
Kimura didn't show up until after dark.  
  
"...and that's how I singlehandedly fought them all off with a nothing but a shoe," Shingo declared proudly, brandishing his beer can.  
  
Goro rolled his eyes. "You liar, it was just a rat, and you threw your shoe at it while hiding on the top bunk."  
  
Shingo flopped over into Goro's lap, grinning up at him. "I still fought it off. And you were up there with me." He reached up to poke Goro's chin. "Had to protect you."  
  
Goro smiled fondly. "My brave warrior."  
  
Nakai took a sip of beer, glancing over at Tsuyoshi. He looked vaguely worried.  
  
"Hey, what about you guys? Didn't anything exciting happen while you were roommates?"  
  
Tsuyoshi blinked. "Exciting? Well..." He caught Nakai's eye and blushed. _Exciting_ was one word for it. But this was the real world now, this was--  
  
There was a jangling of keys from the hallway, and the front door swung open. Kimura stood in the doorway, looking exhausted.  
  
"Hey," he said, and then broke into a grin. "I'm back."  
  
"Kimura-kun!" Shingo tumbled off of Goro's lap to greet him, half hugging and half dragging him across the room. "Where _were_ you, we were waiting for you! Were you okay? You were by yourself, right? They didn't try to put you with some--"  
  
"Shingo." Tsuyoshi stood, tugging the younger man away from Kimura before he could get too overwhelmed. "Let him sit down, he just got home." He smiled at Kimura; the look that passed over the other man's face made Nakai glance away.  
  
First things first, anyway. He grabbed an unopened beer and stood, holding it out to Kimura. "Welcome back. We're a team again now."  
  
Kimura hesitated for a second, and then accepted it. "It's good to be home."  
  
Goro joined them standing, and they raised their cans in a toast to their regained freedom before proceeding to get smashed.  
  
"Nakai-kun, Nakai-kun," Shingo slurred from where he'd found his way into Goro's lap again. "No one tried to, tried to take _advantage_ of you or 'nything right?"  
  
On the other side of Tsuyoshi, Kimura had settled in close, leaning against the younger man's side. Nakai dragged his attention away to focus on Shingo. "I told you, it was just petty criminals where we were. Thieves like us."  
  
"No one hurt you?" Kimura asked, practically murmuring the question into Tsuyoshi's ear.  
  
Tsuyoshi laughed softly at the breath in his ear. "Nakai-kun kept me safe."  
  
Kimura wrapped his arm around Tsuyoshi's shoulders, pulling him in close and burying his nose in Tsuyoshi's hair. " _I_ should've been the one to keep you safe."  
  
"Kimura-kun," Tsuyoshi protested, but maybe he was too drunk or maybe it had been too long for him to care if everyone was watching. He leaned into Kimura, closing his eyes. "Were you lonely?"  
  
"Nakai-kun--" Shingo started again and Nakai snapped back to himself. Right, this was the real world.  
  
"Well, I'm going to bed. Been a long day." He stood, faking a stretch, and headed for his room before Shingo could start to protest. "We'll talk about the rest tomorrow."  
  
He shut the door quickly before any more of the real world could follow him in.  
  
~  
  
He had to deliberately make himself lie in the center of his futon. It was strange-- once, he'd thought he'd never be able to sleep in the same bed with someone; now he wasn't sure if he could _without_. He hadn't slept alone in three years.  
  
He'd known it would have to end eventually-- Tsuyoshi and Kimura had been together long before they'd got caught, hell, he'd helped give them both a shove back when they were still pining like idiots for each other. As long as it hadn't hurt the team, Nakai hadn't cared. But then...  
  
 _"Nakai-kun," Tsuyoshi whispered, his voice faint from the top bunk. "Are we gonna be okay?"  
  
It was their first night in, the clanging of steel gates still echoing in their minds.  
  
"I don't know," Nakai answered honestly.  
  
Tsuyoshi was quiet for a moment. Then: "I'm scared."  
  
Me too, Nakai wanted to say, but that wasn't what the leader said. The leader had to stand strong. "Come sleep with me, then. I'll protect you."_  
  
They should have left it at that.  
  
They _were_ leaving it at that, as far as the team went. All of that was another world they'd left behind when they'd passed through the steel gates. Now Tsuyoshi had Kimura, now Nakai needed to be the leader for all of them, now--  
  
"-- _oh god oh god oh-- Takuya_ \--"  
  
\--now he was going to have to switch rooms if he wanted to even try to get any sleep. He dragged his futon over to the far wall and clamped the pillow down over his ears to wait for morning.  
  
~  
  
Nakai woke in the morning to the smell of something delicious wafting from the kitchen. He staggered out of his room to find Mori flipping pancakes expertly in a frying pan, bacon sizzling away in another pan on the stove. A pot of Mori's coffee and five cups were sitting on the counter.  
  
"Did I ever tell you we should get married?" Nakai poured himself a cup, settling onto one of the stools. "Because I think we definitely should."  
  
"Many times," Mori said, setting a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of him. "I know you're only after me for my dashing good looks, though. Y'want eggs?"  
  
"Hey, I could rob a bank for those looks! You'd never have to worry about Sweet Engine Coffee going out of business." Nakai dove into the pancakes like a starving man. "Nah, 'm good."  
  
Mori started another batch of pancakes, throwing a grin over his shoulder. "Glad you guy's're out. I was starting to get lonely."  
  
"'Long as we _stay_ out," Nakai said between mouthfuls of delicious pancake. "Gotta lie low for a while, prove we're honest people and all."  
  
"You don't have an honest bone in your body," Mori retorted, but he looked thoughtful. "Y'need someplace to work for a while?"  
  
"We all do," Nakai admitted. "Especially Kimura, he's--"  
  
"I'm what?"  
  
Kimura closed the door to his room carefully behind him, finger-combing his hair into some semblance of order as he joined them in the kitchen. "Thanks," he mumbled as Mori served up another plate of pancakes and bacon.  
  
Nakai bit back several adjectives that came to mind and continued his original thought. "I was saying, you've got more than just theft on your record now."  
  
Kimura scowled. "It was an accident. The guy pulled a _knife_ on me, what was I supposed to do?"  
  
Nakai gritted his teeth. "You shouldn't have been fighting back in the first place. That's--"  
  
"I know, I know, that's why I got a harsher sentence. You think I didn't think about it at all in three years?" Kimura stabbed a bite of pancake with his fork. "It was self-defense, even if they didn't see it that way, and the guy just got a few stitches, that's all. I'll be more careful next time."  
  
"If there _is_ a next time," Nakai countered. "We're not going to take any jobs for a while, and when we do _I'll_ be doing the footwork, not you."  
  
Kimura looked up, his fork momentarily forgotten. Nakai wondered for a second if the other man was going to punch him, but then Kimura's expression shuttered and he simply took another bite. "Fine."  
  
They ate in silence for a few minutes, Mori refilling their coffees cautiously.  
  
"Tsuyoshi told me," Kimura said abruptly.  
  
Nakai paused in mid-sip, focusing on the mug. "About what?"  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"I see." Nakai kept his face carefully blank. "And your point is?"  
  
"Nothing." Kimura finished off his coffee and stood, carrying the dishes over to the sink. "Just thanks for taking care of him for me." He nodded to Mori and headed for his room again, closing the door firmly behind him.  
  
Mori glanced over from the stove. "Do I want to know?"  
  
Nakai shook his head and reached for the coffee pot again. "No. Trust me, you really don't."  
  
~  
  
Within the next few days, Mori had jobs-- normal ones, that was-- lined up for them. He stood in the middle of the living room, handing each of them a packet of forms.  
  
"Nakai, you'll be working as a bike deliveryman. Gotta keep on your toes, right?"  
  
"Goro, you'll be at an IT help desk. You know, answering phone calls, patiently helping idiots with their computers, that sort of thing.  
  
"Tsuyoshi. Day care assistant. Don't look at me like that, I'm sure you'll love every minute of it.  
  
"Shingo--" Shingo's face brightened hopefully. "--you're a janitor." Mori held out a single sheet of paper, which Shingo mournfully accepted.  
  
"And me?" Kimura raised an eyebrow, as if daring Mori to condemn him to menial labor as well.  
  
Mori tossed an apron at him. "You'll be downstairs. Sorry," he added when Kimura's other eyebrow joined the first. "Not many places'll take someone with assault on their record." He gave Kimura's shoulder a thump. "And anyway, I could use a hot waiter to bring in more customers. You'll start tomorrow at six."  
  
~  
  
Nakai made no attempt to hide his smirk when he came home the next day to find Kimura serving coffee and cakes to giggling college girls. He paused by the counter, watching as the girls snapped photos of Kimura on their phones.  
  
"I'll have a slice of _you_ ," one of them said, and the whole table broke into giggles.  
  
Kimura nearly slammed the tray down on the counter when he returned. "That's the fifth time I've heard that today. Don't they have anything _better_ to do?"  
  
"Looks like you've found your calling," Nakai commented, peeling his bike gloves off. "Maybe Mori can add taking a photo with you to the menu. Or being fed a bite of cake."  
  
"This isn't a damn _maid cafe_ ," Kimura grumbled, but plastered on a fake smile as another customer beckoned.  
  
The bells on the door jangled, revealing an exhausted-looking Tsuyoshi. "Kids," he said, joining Nakai by the counter. "Are the spawn of hell." He was still wearing his daycare apron, which appeared to have already acquired numerous smudges and stains.  
  
"Well, you're not the only one having a bad first day," Nakai assured him as the customer batted her eyes at Kimura. Tsuyoshi looked over.  
  
"Oh!" He smiled at Kimura as the older man returned. Kimura nearly dropped the tray. "We match," Tsuyoshi told him, motioning at his own apron.  
  
"Is that a compliment?" Kimura tugged one of Tsuyoshi's shoulder straps, looking his apron over. "Guess I should be grateful my customers haven't spilled anything on me yet."  
  
"Don't say that too loud, they'll get ideas." Nakai held a finger to his lips.  
  
Tsuyoshi laughed; Kimura didn't, and tugged the younger man a little closer. "You look good in an apron. Maybe _you_ should be doing this."  
  
Tsuyoshi blushed, but shook his head. "You look even better. Don't you think so, Nakai-kun?"  
  
"Huh?" Nakai and Kimura both raised their eyebrows, staring at each other in wary confusion. "Uh, I guess so. I mean, yeah, it definitely looks good, but--"  
  
"See?" Tsuyoshi smiled at Kimura again. "Oh, there's a customer calling for you."  
  
Kimura looked a bit dazed as he turned away, but after that his smile didn't seem quite so fake.  
  
~  
  
Shingo was unhappy with his job for rather different reasons.  
  
"It's a _night shift_ ," he muttered petulantly, picking at the edges of his uniform in the mirror. "The best time of the day."  
  
Goro reached around his waist to straighten out the wrinkles. "Quit being dramatic. We'll get to see each other in the mornings and evenings."  
  
"That's hardly enough time," Shingo grumbled, leaning back.  
  
"Then you'll have to think of ways to make it count," Goro replied, and pressed a kiss to the side of Shingo's head. "Now go learn what it feels like to clean up after people all the time."  
  
He settled on the couch across from Nakai after Shingo left, letting out a long sigh.  
  
Nakai looked up from his newspaper. "How's yours going?"  
  
Goro rubbed his temples. "Someone tried to empty the trash by turning their computer upside down." He shook his head. "Are you sure we can't just go back to stealing for a living?"  
  
"It'll look suspicious if we don't act like normal people for a while," Nakai assured him.  
  
"I _hate_ normal people," Goro grumbled, reaching for another section of the newspaper. "That's why I hang out with a bunch of kleptomaniacs."  
  
"We love you, too," Nakai replied, and turned to the next page.  
  
~  
  
Nakai's job indeed kept him on his toes, but was otherwise uneventful. He didn't really have to talk to anyone, and it gave him a good excuse to learn which streets were quiet and which ones made the fastest shortcuts across town. It was a bit scary how well Mori knew him, really.  
  
So it wasn't really a surprise when Mori beckoned him over to the counter and handed him a business card. "Job, if you want it. Something about stolen data."  
  
Kimura peered over Nakai's shoulder. "Cumulus Data? Sounds like an IT company."  
  
"They're an up-and-coming company trying to take over the cloud market." Nakai recalled several articles following the company's progress. "They've had some scandals over data security, so a competing company could easily bring them down with something more serious." He flipped the card over; a time and place were written in one corner on the back.  
  
Kimura looked at him, lowering his voice. "Are you going?"  
  
Nakai set the card on the counter. "It's too soon."  
  
"It's been two weeks!" Kimura hissed. "Isn't that long enough? We can't work these little part-time jobs forever, you know."  
  
"It's _only_ been two weeks," Nakai corrected. "And we need to keep these jobs, they may still be keeping an eye on us. Especially you."  
  
Kimura paled, glancing around. "Is that why they keep taking pictures of me?"  
  
"That's probably just because you're you," Nakai replied, waving his hand. "But that's why we need to be careful." He slid the card back across the counter. "I'll think about it."  
  
"Three years really did you in," Kimura muttered, watching as Mori secreted the card away. "Might as well be back in jail."  
  
"I'm trying to keep us _out_ of jail," Nakai shot back. "But if you're in such a hurry to go _back_ \--"  
  
"Hey." Mori leaned forward, cutting them off. "There's customers waiting."  
  
Kimura spun on his heel and stalked off to attend to the waiting tables. Nakai smiled weakly at Mori. "Sorry."  
  
Mori shook his head. "Just let me know when you make up your mind."  
  
~  
  
Nakai was searching online for more articles about Cumulus Data when Tsuyoshi came home. He looked exhausted again, but he brightened when he saw Nakai was alone.  
  
"Nakai-kun, are you doing okay?" He took off his apron and tossed it over the back of the couch, joining Nakai with a worried expression.  
  
Nakai blinked at him. "What do you mean, of course I'm okay."  
  
"But-- it isn't fair, is it?" Tsuyoshi fidgeted for a second, then leaned in and hugged Nakai. "How can you stand it?"  
  
"You'd better not let Kimura catch you like this," Nakai warned, but he let his arm fall across Tsuyoshi's back. Tsuyoshi was right-- it felt like second nature, now.  
  
"I can hug you if I damn well want to," Tsuyoshi replied, resting his cheek on Nakai's shoulder. "You're important to me."  
  
Nakai bent his head, breathing in the way Tsuyoshi smelled, feeling his warm pulse under his fingertips. It was all so familiar-- god, he missed it so much. "You're important to me, too," he said softly. "Really important."  
  
Tsuyoshi sighed. "I miss it, you know. But it wouldn't be fair to him, he was alone for three years."  
  
Nakai nodded, stroking Tsuyoshi's hair. "I wouldn't do that to him."  
  
"I know." Tsuyoshi turned his head, burying it in Nakai's neck. "I asked him if he'd be interested in a threesome."  
  
Nakai coughed. A _what_? "I'm sure your possessive boyfriend must have thought that was a _great_ idea."  
  
"I think he thought I was joking." Tsuyoshi lifted his head. "What about you, though? Would you want to have sex with Kimura-kun?"  
  
Nakai stared. Sex with Kimura? _Sex_ with _Kimura_? "I, uh, can't say I've ever thought about it." He shook his head, reluctantly pushing Tsuyoshi off. "Don't go getting ideas. I'm perfectly fine like this."  
  
Tsuyoshi still looked skeptical. "I don't want you to be alone."  
  
Nakai smiled. "I'm not alone, I have all of you guys." He swatted Tsuyoshi's knee. "Now go wash your apron, and tell me what the little devils tried to do to you today."  
  
~  
  
The second request came a few days later.  
  
"Same guy." Mori slid another business card across the counter. It was identical to the first. "Said they're desperate to get the data back."  
  
"They're always desperate, that's why they come to us." Nakai flipped the card over; another time and place were written on the back, this time scribbled hastily.  
  
Kimura unloaded a stack of dishes into the sink. "I'm going to tell the others."  
  
"That's fine. My answer is still no." Nakai pushed the card back. "Thanks anyway, Mori."  
  
When he came home the next day, the other four were waiting in the living room, the two Cumulus Data business cards lying out on the coffee table.  
  
"Nakai-kun, how come you didn't tell us?" Shingo folded his arms, sitting cross-legged on the couch. "Two requests, and you weren't going say anything?"  
  
"Three, actually." Nakai tossed another identical card down on top of the first two. The others leaned in to look at it. "And because I had no intention of accepting it. It's too soon to be anything but trouble for us."  
  
Goro turned each of the cards over. "Each subsequent request made before the previous meeting date was even past. They do seem rather impatient."  
  
"Of course they are, their company depends on it." Kimura snatched up the third card, studying the meeting time. "This is tomorrow."  
  
"I'm not going," Nakai plucked the card out of Kimura's fingers. "It's too dangerous to start anything yet."  
  
"We'll lose our reputation if we don't start again soon." Kimura crossed his arms. "They're gonna say we've lost our edge."  
  
"Our _reputation_ ," Nakai snapped. "Is a group of idiots who got _caught_. If we lost our edge, it was well before we ever got sent to jail."  
  
The room fell silent, no one quite meeting anyone's eyes. Kimura shifted from one foot to the other, staring at the floor.  
  
"Look," Nakai said finally, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Maybe we should talk about what happened three years ago."  
  
~  
  
 _Nakai raced along the hallway, ducking under the last security gate as the alarm shrieked in his ears. He crawled into the duct he'd entered through and checked his watch. Five minutes too early! What was Kimura doing?  
  
"Nakai-kun, can you hear me?" It was Goro. "Someone set the alarm off early, you've got to get out of there!"  
  
"Where's Kimura? He's supposed to be guarding the exit!"  
  
"He's--" There was a burst of static. "I can't find him on camera. Shingo, Shingo, do you read me?"  
  
No answer. Nakai swore, and started crawling faster.  
  
"--huh? Oh, sorry, I fell asleep."  
  
"Guys!" Tsuyoshi's voice this time. "Cops are coming, what do we do?"  
  
"--found Kimura! He's-- he's fighting a security guard!"  
  
"Kimura!" Nakai grabbed his headset. "Leave it and run!"  
  
"--'m trying to--" Kimura's voice came in bursts. "--s guy won't back off--"  
  
"Nakai-kun, what about you?" Tsuyoshi again; he sounded like he was running.  
  
"Yeah, are you still in the ducts?" Shingo, with the engine running in the background.  
  
"I can hack into the security gates, just give me a second," Goro added hurriedly.  
  
Kimura was breathing hard. "--got the guy. Where are you?"  
  
Nakai laughed, looking around. He was on the 33rd floor of a 50-floor building. There was no way up or down. "Just run, you guys. I'll be fine here."  
  
Tsuyoshi stopped running. The sound of the engine faded abruptly, leaving nothing but frantic typing and sirens growing louder over the headset.  
  
"--like hell."_  
  
~  
  
"As much as I appreciate the sentiment," Nakai said, rubbing his temples again. "What you all should have done was _get the fuck out of there_."  
  
"Second," he continued. "We all weren't paying attention to what we should have. Shingo, you fell asleep at the wheel. Goro, you weren't keeping track of our locations. Tsuyoshi, you should have been watching for that guard before he ever got to Kimura." Nakai glanced at Kimura. "You, for letting the guard catch you, and me, for not planning a second escape route."  
  
Kimura frowned. "I still don't understand how he found me, it was like he already knew I was there."  
  
Nakai gritted his teeth. "Regardless," he went on. "We let our guard down, and paid the price for it. We need to be careful and meticulous--" He eyed Kimura again. "--and _not_ rushing into things because we can't set aside our pride."  
  
Kimura scowled. "This isn't about pride, this is--"  
  
"Kimura-kun," Tsuyoshi cut in, his voice curiously firm. "Nakai-kun. You're right, we should have been paying more attention. But we've got to start again somewhere, right? If our reputation's that sunk, can we really afford not to hear this guy out?"  
  
"Tsuyoshi-- that's not--" Nakai racked his brain, trying to come up with a good defense.  
  
"It can't hurt to at least hear what the client wants," Goro spoke up. "We can always refuse if it seems like too much for us."  
  
"I promise to heartlessly abandon you to the police if you're ever caught again," Shingo added with a serious expression.  
  
Kimura stepped closer. "Want me to do it?"  
  
" _You_ stay put," Nakai snapped, turning away. "I'll do it, you idiots."  
  
~  
  
"I don't know why I agreed to this," Nakai grumbled, stirring too much cream and sugar into his coffee. "Why'd he choose _this_ place, anyway? Mori's coffee is better."  
  
It was the first floor atrium of a tall office building, presumably hosting various banking and IT companies. Nakai didn't like it, and not just because of the bad coffee; it was too open, an airy, glass-walled space with nowhere to hide.  
  
"I'll pass your compliments along to Mori-kun," Goro replied over the headset. "Any sign of him yet? I don't have anything from my angle."  
  
"Nothing yet." Nakai took a sip and grimaced, reaching for the cream again. "Still two minutes to go."  
  
"He'd better show." Kimura's voice was being picked up faintly; he was probably sitting next to Goro, watching the security camera footage. "If he's desperate enough to make three requests, he'd better be desperate enough to be on time."  
  
"His company's across town," Goro pointed out. "I don't know why he choose this location, but-- here he comes!"  
  
Nakai watched the would-be client approach through the atrium, absently taking a sip of disgusting coffee. His card had listed him as CEO, and he looked every bit the part-- carefully ironed suit, expensive shoes, air of self-assured confidence as if he owned the place. Nakai wondered if he could steal the man's watch without losing him as a client.  
  
The man glanced over and recognized him-- _interesting_ , Nakai thought-- and bought himself a coffee and pastry to go, settling with a newspaper in the seat behind Nakai.  
  
"I can still see him clearly," Goro assured.  
  
Nakai leaned back, lazily sipping his coffee and appearing to people-watch. The man opened the newspaper. "Nakai Masahiro?"  
  
"Mm." Nakai watched a woman sip her newly-bought coffee and make a face. He could sympathize.  
  
"I-- my company needs your help. We're a cloud data company, and we've been fighting several competitors to get to the front of the market, but we've had some issues lately that have given our security a bad name."  
  
I know, Nakai thought. Get on with it.  
  
The man cleared his throat. "We'd just developed a security system that would take care of all that when someone broke into our headquarters and outright stole one of the servers."  
  
"One of the servers?" Nakai murmured. ("Things you keep lots of data on," Goro defined helpfully.)  
  
"Yes. To make matters worse, there was especially sensitive data on that particular server." The man sighed, turning a page in the newspaper. "I don't know for sure, but I strongly suspect it was the doing of our main competitor, Strata Cloud."  
  
Nakai quickly swallowed his sip of coffee. That was _here_.  
  
"Stupid." Kimura's voice. "Does he think he's being _helpful_ , prancing into enemy territory?"  
  
"Probably thinks it doubles as reconnaissance," Goro murmured.  
  
Nakai set his coffee down, crossing one leg over the other. "You realize any data that's been stolen will simply have been copied."  
  
"Indeed. But we're quite certain that won't be a problem-- the data is protected with both a security system and a state-of-the-art encryption method we developed. Even if they manage to hack into the server, it's unlikely they'll be able to decode the data itself."  
  
"I see." Nakai pulled out his phone, fiddling with it idly. "So why are you asking _us_?"  
  
To his credit, the man didn't try to play dumb. "A team of poorly-organized thieves, just barely out of jail?" He closed his newspaper, folding it up. "Because when you went down, you chose to go down together. I appreciate that kind of honor, even among thieves." He stood, collecting his coffee and pastry. "If someone is going to steal from me, then I'm going to steal right back-- but I want to do it with _honor_."  
  
~  
  
"Think he was telling the truth?" Goro asked after the man had left.  
  
"If he is, he's an idiot who likes idiots." Nakai shut his phone, sticking it in his pocket again. "Got a nice watch, though," he added, pulling it out of his other pocket.  
  
"Probably just an idiot," Kimura muttered. "Does he think they'll believe he came all the way across town just to drink their coffee?"  
  
"Unless they think this shit is good, no." Nakai turned the watch over in his fingers, examining it. "I think it was a threat."  
  
"A threat?"  
  
"Think about it. The CEO of the company you stole from walks into your lobby like he owns it, and sits down to coffee with a guy who can be traced-- very recently-- to being a thief. What about that _isn't_ a threat?"  
  
"I see. So what do you think? I've already looked up the building's stats, should be pretty straightforward as far as security goes." There was a hint of smile in Goro's voice. "Or are you horribly offended at being used for your fame?"  
  
Nakai snorted. "He's a liar, and he's got some funny ideas about honor," he answered, closing his hand around the watch. "But I think I like his style."  
  
He left the watch on the table, giving the rapidly-cooling sludge in his cup one last glance, and was about to get up when the security alarms went off.  
  
"What's going on? I can't see--" There was frantic typing over the connection. "There--"  
  
Nakai squinted at the entrance; there were a bunch of guards running back and forth. "Can't tell. I'm staying put, though. You'd better cut the feed before they notice."  
  
"Wait!" Kimura's voice grew closer suddenly. "Go back-- that guard who just left the screen--"  
  
"Just a second, just a second--" Goro was typing again. "I need to break the connection quick, though-- hey!"  
  
There was a rustling sound over the connection, and then Kimura's voice was loud in Nakai's ear. "Nakai! To your left, about to walk past the coffee stand!"  
  
Nakai glanced over. There was a guard hurrying through the atrium, passing by the coffee stand with a nod to the owner.  
  
"The guard? What about him?"  
  
"He's _that_ guard! The one that attacked me with a knife!"  
  
"Cut the feed," Nakai ordered. He watched the man out of the corner of his eye. Surely just a coincidence...  
  
The guard's eyes flicked towards him as he passed, and a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.  
  
Then he was gone.  
  
~  
  
"It could still be a coincidence," Tsuyoshi pointed out, carrying a tray of Mori's coffee over from the kitchen. "He might not be connected to the client at all."  
  
"But how would he have known Nakai would be there?" Goro played through the footage of the guard again. "He clearly walked through there so that Nakai would see him. None of the other guards went anywhere else in the atrium."  
  
"Unless he happened to be working for Strata Cloud, and the whole security thing was staged by them." Nakai grabbed a mug, taking a blissful swig. Ah, that was the stuff.  
  
"Sounds like too much of a coincidence for me," Kimura growled, reaching for a mug as well. He was perched protectively on the arm of the couch next to Nakai.  
  
"Can we find out if he even works there? Or when he started and stuff?" Shingo dumped several sugar cubes into his coffee, following them with cream. Some people had no taste.  
  
"I'll see what I can find." Goro pulled the computer into his lap. "Meanwhile, we should think about whether we still want to take this job."  
  
"If it's a trap set by the client?" Tsuyoshi stepped over Goro's legs to sit on Nakai's other side. "Then we should turn it down, right?"  
  
Kimura's gaze flicked from Nakai to Tsuyoshi and back again. "It's an easy job. Turning it down now would look like we've given up altogether."  
  
"And we don't know absolutely it's a trap," Shingo added. He looked over Goro's shoulder. "Anything?"  
  
Goro nudged him off. "I just started, you idiot."  
  
"But it's not worth our reputation just to get caught again," Tsuyoshi protested. "Even if this guy isn't connected to anybody, he's not going to make things easy for us. He might've been the one who set the alarm off, just to give Nakai-kun a scare." He picked up the pot of coffee, refilling Nakai's mug.  
  
Kimura narrowed his eyes and held his own mug out as well. "What, like he's out to get us in particular?"  
  
Tsuyoshi refilled it, glancing up at Kimura. "That's what it feels like to me."  
  
"You did say it was self-defense," Nakai pointed out. "Maybe the guy has some kind of grudge against us?"  
  
"Can't say I recognize him," Shingo said, reaching for another sugar cube and eating it raw. "Must be plenty of people who'd hate us though."  
  
Kimura sipped his coffee, looking off into the distance with a storm on his brow.  
  
"Found him! No guarantees the data isn't fake, but here's what they have." Goro turned the computer around. "Narumi Yu, hired a week ago, works for the company that manages security for the whole building."  
  
"Hard to say." Nakai squinted at the screen. "We got the first request a week ago, but that doesn't prove anything."  
  
"Whether he's working for the client, you mean?" Tsuyoshi leaned over to study the man's face.  
  
"Or if he knew we'd be coming. But he's out to get us either way, so--"  
  
"I think we should take it."  
  
They looked up. Kimura folded his arms, his mind made up. "If he's out to get us either way, we'll have to deal with him eventually. So it's better we make it an easy job than a hard one."  
  
"That's the most logical thing I've ever heard you say," Goro murmured. "Maybe there's hope for you after all."  
  
"So we just keep our asses covered, outsmart the guy, and get the job done quick?" Shingo grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me."  
  
Tsuyoshi still looked skeptical. "Meaning we need to find a way to keep him from interfering again. What are you planning to do, _kill_ him?"  
  
"Of course not." Kimura finished his coffee, setting the mug on the tray. "We'll just have to turn the tables on him somehow." He nudged Nakai. "Put me on it."  
  
"I told you, no." Nakai looked up at him. " _Especially_ not now."  
  
Kimura glared back. "I'm not going to attack him."  
  
"That's not what I'm worried about."  
  
Kimura held his gaze for another moment longer, and then looked away. "Fine. I'll just be serving cake to giggly teenagers while you throw yourself in danger." He got up and stalked off towards his room.  
  
Tsuyoshi sighed. "I'll go talk to him." He patted Nakai on the shoulder as he passed.  
  
"I wonder how much _talking_ they're gonna do," Shingo said doubtfully. There was a muffled yelp, and then some noises that decidedly _weren't_ talking.  
  
"Maybe we should finish the discussion tomorrow," Goro agreed, picking up his laptop. He and Shingo hurried off to Goro's room.  
  
Nakai stood. He should go back to his room-- he'd switched with Tsuyoshi so that his was in the corner, isolated and quiet-- but he couldn't help but linger for a moment longer.  
  
"Kimura-kun-- ah--"  
  
"Call me my name, Tsuyoshi. _Please_ , just--"  
  
"-- _Takuya_ \--"  
  
"--Tsuyoshi. ...Can I?"  
  
Nakai shook himself, his thoughts full of Kimura looking down at him and his hands wrapped around Tsuyoshi and Tsuyoshi's words echoing in his head, _sex with Kimura_?  
  
He suddenly needed to hurry back to his room, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, I'm in." Nakai nodded amiably at the guard in the office as he passed, pushing a cart of boxes. He headed for the freight elevator, tugging his delivery cap down slightly. "I'm on my way to the 41st floor."  
  
"Got it."  
  
Inside the elevator, Nakai frowned. 38, 39, 40. "Hey!" he called to the guard, leaning out the doors. "This doesn't go up to 41?"  
  
The guard poked his head through the window. "Nah, you gotta get the guard on 40 to enter a code for you. Bigwigs and their security, you know..."  
  
"Gotcha." Nakai nodded again and punched in the 40th floor. "Well that's a pain the ass."  
  
"Nothing we can't work around, though." Goro was typing quickly, probably hacking into the elevator camera. "Bets on whether it's always the same code?"  
  
Nakai snorted. "Of course not. Even if it was before, it certainly won't be now."  
  
"Found their email database. Oh, here's a memo from today-- looks like they change it daily."  
  
"You know, you never did say what you did before you joined us." Nakai glanced up at the camera. "I'm guessing it was either a shut-in or a terrorist."  
  
Goro laughed cryptically. "Pay attention, you're almost there."  
  
The elevator chimed, and opened its doors to reveal Narumi Yu.  
  
"Going up?" The man flashed a smile at Nakai that was all teeth.  
  
Right, Nakai thought distantly. He's not stupid. But neither are we.  
  
He returned the smile with a nod. "Got a delivery for Sky Tree Labs on 41," he reported, holding out the delivery form for Narumi to see. "Three boxes of bentos from So Bad Soba."  
  
"Ah, that soba noodle place down the street." Narumi inspected the form thoroughly, lips pressing together. It was, after all, a genuine delivery. "Very well then." He handed the form back and leaned into the elevator, swiping a card and punching in a six-digit code. "Can't let the noodles get stale, can we?"  
  
The doors closed, and the elevator moved upward. Nakai let out a long breath.  
  
"What an asshole," Goro muttered in his ear.  
  
The doors opened again on the 41st floor, and Nakai wheeled his delivery into the reception area. "I'm on a mission of utmost importance," he told the girl behind the desk, giving her a salute.  
  
She giggled. "You mean our soba noodles?"  
  
"Nothing more important than a good lunch," Nakai replied, handing over the delivery form. "I rushed them over straight from the kitchen, just for you."  
  
The girl giggled again, handing the form back with the company's seal stamped on it. "Just leave them on that table, we'll take care of it from there."  
  
Nakai unloaded the boxes, inspecting the layout of the office from the corner of his eye. No obvious ventilation ducts. That left the elevator, the stairs, or...  
  
"Enjoy your lunch, miss." Nakai saluted the girl again, wheeling the cart back into the elevator.  
  
"Quit flirting, you'll make us jealous," Goro scolded.  
  
"What, of me or her?" Nakai pressed the ground floor button. "I'm on my way down."  
  
"I can see that. No code to get down, then--"  
  
The elevator stopped on the 40th floor, and Narumi stepped in. "Shift change," he said cheerfully, closing the doors.  
  
"Shift change, _my ass_ ," Goro said tightly. "If he tries anything..."  
  
Nakai nodded and watched the floor number impassively, leaning on the handle of his cart.  
  
"Did you accomplish what you came for?" Narumi asked, his voice polite. He was younger than his face gave away, probably no older than twenty-five. About the same age as Shingo.  
  
"Of course," Nakai replied, gesturing with the delivery form so that the stamp was obvious. "Three boxes of bentos, delivered to an officeful of hungry workers."  
  
"Good." Narumi shifted, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I'd hate to see all that effort go to waste."  
  
Nakai tensed. Narumi wouldn't attack him-- he was here as a genuine deliveryman, and they were clearly on camera-- but something about Narumi's stance made him wonder if that was only barely keeping him in check.  
  
"Can't say I'd know, I'm just a deliveryman," Nakai said airily. "Just doin' an honest day's work."  
  
Narumi narrowed his eyes. It reminded Nakai of someone. "Oh? You believe in honest work?"  
  
The elevator chimed, opening to reveal the first floor. "Course I do," Nakai replied, pushing the cart out into the lobby. "Even someone like me has to do their part somehow."  
  
Narumi stepped out of the elevator behind him, one hand halfway out of his pocket. "Someone like _you_ \--"  
  
"Sempai, there you are!" At the office window, Kimura straightened from where he'd been chatting with the guard. He was wearing an outfit identical to Nakai's. "You forgot your lunch, so I had to run all this way to bring it to you."  
  
He held up a lunch bag with a grin, though his eyes were focused sharply on the man behind Nakai. Nakai quickly stepped away from Narumi, taking the lunch bag. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver."  
  
"Probably _literally_ , you idiot," Goro hissed in his ear.  
  
"Now that's a decent kouhai," the window guard remarked approvingly. He glanced over at Narumi. "Not many young men show that kind of dedication these days."  
  
Nakai pushed the cart through, waving to the guard. "I'll be sure to take good care of him," he replied, giving Kimura's shoulder a friendly thump. Kimura glanced back at Narumi, and followed after him.  
  
Narumi watched them go, his expression carefully blank.  
  
~  
  
Nakai peered into the lunch bag. "You brought me cake from Mori's cafe?"  
  
"And coffee." Kimura patted the thermos sitting between them on the bench. "It was the best I could do on short notice."  
  
Nakai reached for the thermos. "I thought you were serving cake to giggling teenagers."  
  
"I was." Kimura brushed his hair back, tugging out a tiny earbud. "I was listening."  
  
"Mori'll have your head for not paying attention on the job." Nakai took a sip of coffee, feeling his nerves start to relax. "So you decided to rush out and save me at the first sign of trouble?"  
  
Kimura glared at him. "He could have hurt you. He almost _did_ , with you taunting him like that."  
  
"I can defend myself," Nakai replied. "And he would've been caught right away."  
  
"Is that what you wanted?" Kimura stared at him incredulously. "That's how you'd get him out of the way? By putting yourself in danger?"  
  
"I didn't _plan_ it that way," Nakai shot back. "I did taunt him a little, but I was trying to get a better idea how he thought."  
  
"It was still stupid. What if he'd pulled a knife on you? You can't defend against that." Kimura gripped the edge of the bench. "Take me with you next time."  
  
"Kimura--" Nakai paused. "Goro?"  
  
"Don't mind me, I'm not listening to every word you say." Goro sounded like he was smirking. "But if you insist..." The line cut off.  
  
"Kimura," Nakai said again, putting the thermos down. "You dropped what you were doing and ran out here the moment something seemed off. You deliberately disobeyed my orders, and if you'd gotten involved, it could have made things much worse." He looked at Kimura steadily. "It's impulsive, impatient, and reckless. I can't use that."  
  
The color drained from Kimura's face. "If I hadn't come you might've been dead."  
  
"I know." Nakai looked away. "Thank you." He stood, brushing off his uniform. "But that's not how it works in this business, and you know that."  
  
Kimura didn't reply, just watched him gather the cart and delivery form. Nakai still had an honest day's work to do, after all.  
  
~  
  
"I don't know what you told him," Goro said when Nakai got home. "But he's been sulking in his room all afternoon."  
  
"Just leave him be for now." Nakai took off his jacket and flopped down on the couch. "Any luck with the elevator?"  
  
"Nope. It's not connected to any outer system that I can find. I'd have to find a way to plug into it directly."  
  
Shingo emerged from his room, already wearing his uniform. "Ooh, is it planning time?" He hopped on the cushion next to Goro, crossing his legs.  
  
"Something like that." Nakai glanced at Kimura's door, but decided against it. "The biggest problem with the elevator is the checkpoint on the 40th floor. The ones that go from the atrium don't even go any higher, they have to switch to the other elevator and have the guard send them up with a code and keycard."  
  
"Sounds like a pain in the ass if you're running late," Shingo commented. "So only this one guard guy has the keycard?"  
  
"Right, and somehow this archnemesis of ours has gotten his hands on that position." Nakai rubbed his chin. "So he'll be paying extra attention to anything out of place."  
  
"Still, that doesn't mean he's got the card 24/7. He's gotta return the card somewhere when he gets off shift, right?"  
  
Goro pulled up a log of data. "There's two shifts, morning and evening. So he might not have been lying when he said it was shift change."  
  
"And he was still wearing the card when he came down the elevator with me," Nakai mused. "Chances are he has to return it to the guard office."  
  
"Well that makes it easy," Shingo said, waggling his fingers. "One night-time janitor, coming right up."  
  
Tsuyoshi's door opened, and the younger man emerged, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Sorry, I lay down for a second and completely dozed off." He glanced at Kimura's door. "Still?"  
  
"Still," Goro replied. "What on earth did you tell him, Nakai-kun?"  
  
"That I wasn't impressed with his act today." Nakai frowned. "If he wants me to let him do something, this isn't helping."  
  
"He probably saved your life," Goro protested. "And you know he hates being tied down."  
  
Tsuyoshi sat next to Nakai. "It was never this bad before, though," he said quietly. "It's like he still feels like he's in jail."  
  
Shingo leaned in, his eyebrows drawing together. "He never really said much about it. Were they-- harsh to him?"  
  
Tsuyoshi bit his lip, glancing at the door again before leaning in. "Nothing physical, but-- they gave him a lot of solitary confinement."  
  
Nakai sat up, alarmed. That explained a hell of a lot. "That _idiot_. Why didn't he tell us?" he hissed. "Does he think locking himself away in his room is going to _help_?" He stood, fully intending to go drag Kimura out of his room.  
  
Tsuyoshi caught his arm. "Nakai-kun, I wasn't even supposed to tell you guys. I don't think that'll help right now."  
  
Nakai let Tsuyoshi pull him back down. "I'm not trying to tie him down," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "I just can't have him doing something rash in the middle of a mission."  
  
Tsuyoshi stroked Nakai's back. "I think he knows that. He just needs to make sure we're not going to leave him behind."  
  
"By clinging to us as tightly as he can," Nakai muttered. He needed a cup of coffee.  
  
Tsuyoshi kept stroking his back. "Did you give any thought to what I asked you?"  
  
Nakai coughed, cheeks flushing red. "Um, I-- that's--"  
  
"Whoops, looks like I'd better head to work," Shingo said quickly, hopping off the couch and heading for the door.  
  
"I'll see you off," Goro agreed, hastily following him out the door.  
  
Nakai hit Tsuyoshi's knee weakly. "You could be a little more discreet."  
  
"Why? It's not like _they_ are." Tsuyoshi's hand stopped on Nakai's back. "Did you?"  
  
"For _my_ sake, at least," Nakai replied. "And, um. Do you really think he'd even want to?"  
  
"So you would?"  
  
"I didn't say that! I just-- uh--" Nakai faltered at Tsuyoshi's expression. "Maybe."  
  
Tsuyoshi smiled. "I can work with that," he said, and leaned in to kiss Nakai's cheek. "Don't worry, we'll get him to come out of his prison yet."  
  
~  
  
"No sign yet." Shingo sounded bored. "Can I at least leave this cafe?"  
  
"Keep focused," Nakai reminded him, leaning against his bike and pretending to check a list of deliveries.  
  
"But I've had three cups of coffee already," Shingo whined. "My head'll explode if I get another refill. Or my bladder."  
  
"Just wait. It shouldn't be long now." Nakai watched the front atrium through his eyelashes; most workers had already gone home, and only the path from the door to the elevator was lit.  
  
"I dunno how long my _bladder_ can-- Hang on, here someone comes!"  
  
"A guard? Does he have a card with him?"  
  
"Around his neck. Can't make out his face--" Shingo was quiet for a second. "Wait! It's him! That archnemesis guy!"  
  
"Again?" Nakai frowned. "What does he do, _live_ there?"  
  
"He's handing the card over to the guard office, just like we thought." Shingo's grin was audible over the line. "Want me to follow him?"  
  
" _No_." Nakai put his delivery clipboard away and started the bike. "Stay there, I'll come pick you up."  
  
Shingo was bouncing on his heels when Nakai got there. "Don't tell me you didn't pee," Nakai said suspiciously.  
  
"No, this is just three cups of coffee," Shingo replied, climbing on behind him. "Forgot to order decaf."  
  
Nakai pushed off from the curb. "You brought your uniform, right? I'll give you a lift to work."  
  
"Thanks." Shingo wrapped his arms around Nakai's waist, holding tight as they sped up. "So'd you guys get anything figured out yet?"  
  
"Figured out?" Nakai turned onto a back road. There were a lot of things that needed to be figured out.  
  
"You know. With Kimura-kun and all." Shingo leaned in as Nakai made another turn. "I know Tsuyopon thinks he can fix Kimura-kun all by himself, but it's gotta be exhausting for him."  
  
Nakai shook his head. "I wish he'd told us sooner. No wonder Kimura was itching to get moving again so bad."  
  
"Would it really be that dangerous to take him with? You guys always used to work together before."  
  
Nakai sighed. "I told you guys, loyalty isn't enough to pull off a mission. I need everyone in their best condition, physically _and_ mentally."  
  
"Harsh." Shingo rested his chin on Nakai's shoulder. "Well, I for one promise to throw you to the dogs at the first sign of trouble."  
  
"That's the spirit," Nakai replied dryly, and turned down the street to Shingo's workplace.  
  
~  
  
"We go in tonight," Nakai announced over breakfast.  
  
Mori paused in mid-pancake flip. "You're ready to do it?"  
  
"I've got a program ready to take care of the cameras," Goro said, neatly cutting his pancakes into bite-sized pieces. "The outer system is no problem, all we'll need is the elevator code for that day."  
  
Shingo stabbed half a pancake with his fork, inhaling it whole. "Managed to scrounge a couple extra uniforms last night. Might be kinda big, though."  
  
Tsuyoshi joined them at the counter, yawning. "Headsets are all taken care of. I'll get that other thing today."  
  
Mori reached over to refill Nakai's coffee. "What about that Narumi guy? Think he'll show up?"  
  
"Wouldn't put it past him." Nakai took a sip. "But he can't be everywhere. I'll get by him."  
  
"Don't underestimate him."  
  
They turned; Kimura was leaning in the doorway to his room, arms folded. "He knows how thieves work. He used to be one."  
  
Mori held a plate of pancakes out. Kimura crossed the room and took it, eating standing up.  
  
Nakai looked up at him, taking another sip of coffee. "What's he got against us, then?"  
  
"Against _me_ ," Kimura corrected. "I didn't recognize him before, but we used to work on a team together, a long time ago. The leader and some members got caught and sent to jail, including him."  
  
"But not you," Nakai murmured, starting to pull the picture together.  
  
"No. He's changed his identity since he got out, looks like his face, too, but it's him. And he's been chasing after us-- after me-- ever since."  
  
"So three years ago was a trap," Goro concluded, frowning.  
  
"It was _revenge_." Kimura set his plate on the counter. "He was trying to kill me then. Now he'll go for anything, so long as it hurts me."  
  
"Jerk," Tsuyoshi murmured. "Isn't an eye for an eye enough?" Shingo made a face sympathetically.  
  
"Then it's especially important we don't let him catch us," Nakai said. "Shingo, Tsuyoshi, you'll need to be as alert as possible. Take naps this afternoon, if you can. Goro, we'll run a simulation as soon as you get home today." He glanced up at Kimura again.  
  
Kimura held his gaze for a moment, then looked away. "Just be careful."  
  
~  
  
"Nakai-kun," Goro said, looking up from his computer. "Are we sure this isn't a complete setup?"  
  
On the other side of the living room, Nakai paused in his mental simulation of the layout. He was in the reception lobby of Strata Cloud. "Including the client? It's possible. But why would he go through the trouble of making a threat like that if he was just going to have us fail?"  
  
"True, it'd only make Strata Cloud look stronger. He'd be a laughingstock."  
  
"But if he _was_ going to have us get caught," Nakai continued. "He'd do it _after_ we have the server. Give them a security scandal and draw attention to the fact they stole from a competitor."  
  
Goro stared at him silently. Nakai looked back down at the plans he was memorizing. "Depends how much he wants to hide that the server was stolen in the first place, though. And he did say there was sensitive data on it."  
  
Goro sighed. "Who knew the cloud market could be so cutthroat. Right," he said, focusing on his computer again. "Now I've covered the cameras on this floor, but you'll want to stay low as much as possible once you get close to the windows..."  
  
~  
  
It was time.  
  
"Headsets working?"  
  
"Check." Tsuyoshi was in place in the office building across the street, slowly patrolling his way up the floors in a borrowed guard uniform.  
  
"Check." Shingo was standing by, cleaning the floor near the guard office. "Ready to move when you are."  
  
"Check," Goro chimed in from the living room. "All systems go, as they say."  
  
Nakai double-checked his janitor uniform in the mirror. Headset working. Tools secure. "Alright. I'm heading out."  
  
"Wait." Kimura stepped out of his room. He was dressed in tight black, holding the plans Nakai had been memorizing earlier. "Take me with you."  
  
" _Kimura-kun_ \--" Goro started, but Nakai cut him off with a motion. He took a step towards Kimura, glaring up at him with his arms crossed.  
  
"Do you promise to obey my orders?"  
  
Kimura met his gaze. "Yes."  
  
"Even if it looks like I'm in danger?"  
  
Kimura pressed his lips together for a second, but nodded. "Yes."  
  
Nakai glared at him for a moment longer. Then he crossed over to the couch and picked up the extra uniform that had been too big for him. "Put that on," he ordered, tossing it at Kimura. "You'd better have been listening in on the plan."  
  
Kimura brushed his hair back to reveal a headset. He grinned. "Check."  
  
~  
  
"We're in." Nakai shuffled across the atrium, pretending to squint at a clipboard as Kimura followed him with the mop and bucket. "Shingo, when you're ready."  
  
"Gotcha. I'm moving in."  
  
Nakai pressed the button for the elevator, yawning and scratching idly like someone ten years his senior. Kimura leaned on the broom handle, looking bored. Goro had taken care of the cameras here, but the glass-walled atrium was little protection from whoever might happen to glance their way.  
  
"I'm in the office," Shingo reported. "Hey, they've got a bunch of beer down here!"  
  
"Stay on guard, Shingo." The elevator arrived, its chime seeming to echo loudly across the deserted room. They wheeled the bucket in, and Nakai pressed the button for 39 through his sleeve.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Shingo muttered. "Obviously _they_ weren't. Okay, I found the keycard. Um..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"There aren't _two_ of them, are there?"  
  
Nakai and Kimura looked at each other in alarm.  
  
"'Cause that one the guy turned in was on a lanyard, and this one's not even hole-punched..."  
  
Nakai thought back-- yes, the card Narumi had used had definitely been hole-punched. Their enemy was somewhere in the building.  
  
"We'll use that one." He nodded to Kimura. "Get ready to send it up."  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
The elevator chimed, and opened on the 39th floor. They quickly wheeled the mop out and leaned against the wall in the corner, away from the windows.  
  
The floor was silent. "All clear?" Goro murmured.  
  
"Clear," Nakai whispered. "Shingo, send it up."  
  
Kimura carefully raised the plastic bag they'd hidden in the bucket up from the murky water, and pulled the lightweight backpack out from inside it, turning the plastic inside out and rolling it up. Nakai tucked the plastic into the backpack and exchanged it for two pairs of gloves.  
  
"Okay, it's on its way."  
  
They tugged the gloves on, watching the freight elevator.  
  
"What made you change your mind?" Kimura's voice was low.  
  
Nakai glanced over. "I could ask you the same thing."  
  
Kimura snorted softly. "I asked first. But you know why, don't you? I couldn't live with myself not being here with you."  
  
"Kimura," Nakai said, more sharply than he meant to but if Kimura was going to be honest then so was he. "You're afraid you're going to lose us, aren't you." Kimura looked over in surprise, but Nakai kept going. "You're afraid that we'll disappear and you'll be forced to be alone again."  
  
"Nakai-kun!" Tsuyoshi's voice cut across the line. "I told you not to say anything about it!"  
  
"Tsuyoshi, you _told_ them?" Kimura pressed his lips together. "No, you're right, I'm holding on too hard. I'm tying you down, aren't I?"  
  
"Goro--" Nakai hissed.  
  
"I am _not_ cutting communication in the middle of a mission," Goro snapped back. "If you're going to have a lovers' spat, do it later or get it over with."  
  
"You're not tying me down," Tsuyoshi said, his voice rising slightly. "I'm with you because I love you."  
  
"I'm making you unhappy." Kimura looked at Nakai steadily. "Both of you."  
  
Nakai swallowed. "It's-- it's not--"  
  
"I told you," Tsuyoshi replied. "Why don't you just have both of us? He said he would."  
  
Kimura stared. Nakai spluttered. "I didn't say _that_ , I said--"  
  
The taller man rolled so that he was pinning Nakai against the wall with his hips. He looked down at Nakai, their faces nearly inches away. "I think I'd like that. A lot," he murmured, eyes flicking down to Nakai's lips. "What do you think?"  
  
Nakai glared up at him as best as he could without crossing his eyes. "I think this is the _least_ appropriate time and place for this possible."  
  
The elevator chimed.  
  
They snapped back into business, pushing the mop into the elevator. Nakai stood on it and reached up to fish the keycard down from where Shingo had stuck it above the ceiling tiles. "Got it," he breathed. "Shingo, get back to your workplace. Don't forget to take the mop with you."  
  
"Roger that," Shingo replied, sounding relieved. "Everything, uh, clear now?"  
  
"As clear as it's going to get," Nakai said, glancing at Kimura. "Get going."  
  
"If you're all done, the code is 468075." Goro still sounded disapproving, but there was a smile at the edge of his voice. "No movement on the levels in between. You should be able to go straight to 42."  
  
Kimura stepped into the elevator, letting the doors close. Nakai swiped the card and punched in the code. The elevator started to move upward.  
  
Nakai looked at Kimura out of the corner if his eye. " _Maybe_ ," he muttered quietly.  
  
Kimura smirked. "Keep focused," he murmured back.  
  
"Shit!" Goro's voice broke back in. "On 42! He just came out of the office!"  
  
The doors opened. Narumi was halfway across the lobby, heading for the stairs. He was carrying a square black shape under one arm.  
  
"He's got the server!" They chased after him as he disappeared through the door. "What's he trying to _do_?"  
  
Narumi was already through the door to 41; Kimura leaped down the stairs, catching the door before it could lock shut.  
  
They burst onto the floor. Narumi was standing at the elevator, the call button lit. He turned; there was a knife in his free hand.  
  
"You're not going to take it," he said triumphantly. "They'll catch you and lock you away again, back where you should be."  
  
Nakai tensed, ready to push Kimura aside if Narumi attacked. "Why are you after us? Do you really hate Kimura that much?"  
  
Narumi scowled at Kimura. "You _abandoned_ us. Left us to rot in jail while you ran off to join another team." He gripped the knife tightly. "You deserve to be locked up for _good_."  
  
Kimura held his hands out. "I followed the order I was given. I'm not proud of it," he admitted, looking steadily at his former teammate. "But you should know loyalty doesn't count among thieves."  
  
Narumi curled his lip, glaring at Kimura. The elevator chimed behind him.  
  
"Huh? What's going on?" A girl emerged from the Sky Tree Labs office-- it was the same girl as before, this time wearing a lab coat. "Narumi-san? The deliveryman?"  
  
"Miss," Nakai said urgently. "You should run--"  
  
Narumi raised the knife and lunged-- not for Kimura, but Nakai. The girl screamed and threw herself forward, shoving Nakai aside. The knife went into her shoulder with a sickening noise, and Narumi let go, stepping back in horror. "I didn't-- You-- _They're_ the ones who shouldn't be here!"  
  
Nakai caught the girl as she fell against him, stumbling backwards to the floor. "Miss! Are you okay?" He pulled the knife out, bunching the lab coat over the wound.  
  
Kimura dove at Narumi, knocking him to the ground and wrestling him face down. Narumi kicked out, dropping the server. "Let me go, you traitor! _You're_ the one who's the thief here!"  
  
Kimura yanked Narumi's arms behind his back. "The only one who's a _traitor_ here is you." He slammed Narumi's head to the floor, knocking him out cold.  
  
"Miss!" Nakai shook the girl gently; she seemed to be in a daze. She blinked rapidly, and then reached up to take over holding her wound.  
  
"I'll be okay. You two should leave quickly." She nodded towards the waiting elevator. "I'll pull the security alarm when you're gone."  
  
"Mind if I borrow this?" Kimura tugged the cloth belt from her lab coat and used it to tie Narumi's hands behind his back. "You're lucky he wasn't aiming a little lower."  
  
"You're sure you'll be okay?" Nakai helped her the rest of the way to the floor. "What were you doing here so late, anyway?"  
  
"Research experiments," she replied, wincing slightly. "This is the only time I get to run them..."  
  
Kimura picked up the server, examining it. "Looks alright. We'd better--"  
  
A high-pitched alarm started to sound.  
  
"The security alarm!" Goro's typing was audible over the line. "Who set it off? It couldn't have been Narumi..."  
  
Nakai and Kimura glanced at each other. "No time," Nakai said, punching the call button. The doors opened, revealing the mop they'd left behind. He carefully placed the keycard on the edge of the bucket and stepped back out.  
  
Kimura shoved the server into their backpack, slipping it on. "We're not going down?"  
  
"Plan B," Nakai said, letting the doors close behind him. "We're going _up_."  
  
He paused by the girl, crouching down. "Thank you. I'd say I owe you, but I'm a thief."  
  
She smiled. "No debts, huh? Well, I'll know who to come looking for if I need something stolen, then." She motioned them off. "Now get going so I can think of a good story for them."  
  
Kimura was waiting at the stairs; Nakai joined him, and they raced upwards, towards the roof.  
  
"Tsuyoshi, we're coming your way. Got it ready?"  
  
"All set. Be careful."  
  
They burst out onto the roof. The wind whipped around them, threatening to carry them off into the night.  
  
"This way!" Nakai stripped the janitor uniform off as he ran, revealing tight dark clothes and a safety harness around his chest. Kimura followed suit, shoving the uniforms into the backpack.  
  
At the edge of the roof, a grappling hook was latched securely to the railing. Nakai climbed over the rail, fishing the tether out from his harness and attaching it to the cable.  
  
Kimura followed him over the rail. "Only one harness?"  
  
"I wasn't planning for two," Nakai replied. "Hold on tight."  
  
Kimura flung both arms around him, clinging to the back of the harness, and they threw themselves out into the night.  
  
"I am _so_ glad I'm not there with you," Goro muttered.  
  
They sailed through the darkness towards the office building across the street, landing on the sill of the window Tsuyoshi had opened for them.  
  
"Oof!" Tsuyoshi caught them as Nakai released the tether and they tumbled inside. He beamed at them, throwing his arms around their necks. "Got you," he said, hugging them tightly. "Got _both_ of you."  
  
Nakai freed one hand from around Kimura to ruffle Tsuyoshi's hair. "Yeah. You caught us." He met Kimura's eyes, and broke into a smile. "Let's go home."  
  
~  
  
Goro was up first the next morning. "News broke already," he said as Nakai staggered blearily out of his room. "Narumi Yu, 24, was arrested for attacking a Sky Tree Labs company employee, with additional charges of theft, breaking and entering, and tampering with security cameras. The employee was rescued by two janitorial staff, although the rescuers' identities still remain a mystery. Police investigations have furthermore revealed the attacker's identity to be faked, and are considering reopening a previous self-defense case in light of this evidence..."  
  
Nakai leaned over the back of the couch, squinting at the computer. "They're overturning Kimura's conviction?"  
  
"Sounds like it." Goro closed the article, returning to what looked like a very large copy-and-paste operation.  
  
Nakai frowned, realizing Goro's computer was hooked up to the server they'd retrieved. "Don't tell me you're..."  
  
"Copying the data, of course." Goro sighed. "It's mostly just pictures of our client enjoying female company, though. So much for sensitive data."  
  
"So much for state-of-the-art, too, I see." Nakai got up, heading for the kitchen.  
  
"The thing about 'state-of-the-art,'" Goro replied smugly. "Is that the art keeps on moving. There's coffee in the pot already, by the way."  
  
Tsuyoshi stumbled out of his room, rubbing his eyes. "Morning."  
  
"Morning." Nakai held up the coffee pot. "Coffee?"  
  
"Please." Tsuyoshi slumped against Nakai's shoulder, his eyes falling shut again. "Tell me when you're done pouring."  
  
Kimura emerged from his room a second later, looking half-dead. Nakai pulled down a third cup as well.  
  
Goro blinked, looking between their rooms. "What, no post-heist sex to celebrate your newfound happiness?"  
  
Nakai coughed, raising his coffee to his lips and decidedly not looking anywhere.  
  
"Not yet," Tsuyoshi mumbled sleepily. "Gotta be in good condition the first time." Even Kimura, barely half-awake, had the decency to blush a little at that.  
  
"Don't forget your apron's in my room," Kimura said, kissing Tsuyoshi's forehead and taking one of the cups of coffee.  
  
Tsuyoshi opened his eyes in horror. "I have to go to _work_ today?" He grabbed his coffee and drank nearly half of it down before racing into Kimura's room. "Dammit, it's _finger-painting_ day, too!"  
  
The front door opened, and Shingo swayed in, smiling brightly. He was, after all, used to working nights. "Morning! Didja hear the news?"  
  
"Already beat you to it," Goro replied, but he looked faintly relieved to see the younger man. "Any trouble after that?"  
  
"They interviewed us all at work," Shingo said, stripping his uniform off. "But I was on camera the whole time, working hard at my regularly scheduled building."  
  
"More like dancing, reading comics, and singing to the mop handle." Goro let Shingo lean in to kiss his cheek, then pushed him away. "Go take a shower, you smell like ammonia."  
  
Kimura looked at Nakai. There was a Tsuyoshi-sized space left between them.  
  
"Back to work then, huh?" He slid closer so that their shoulders pressed together. "Better not wear yourself out today. Gotta be in good condition, after all."  
  
Nakai flushed, peering intently into his coffee cup. "Same goes for you."  
  
~  
  
On the 38th floor of a sky-rise office building, the CEO of Cumulus Data yawned, leaning back in his chair for a break from pouring over sales figures. "Gonna tank if this scandal breaks," he mumbled to himself, reaching for his coffee.  
  
It wasn't there. Nakai stepped out from behind him, taking a sip from the cup. "No need to worry about that."  
  
The CEO jumped, shoving his chair back before recognizing who it was. "Oh, it's you." He sank back down, trying to regain his composure. "I don't suppose you still have my watch, do you?"  
  
"No." Nakai wrinkled his nose at the coffee, swirling it around in the cup. "It was a replica, anyway."  
  
The CEO smiled wryly. "Can't spend _all_ the company money on appearances. So, I take it you got the server back?"  
  
"Up and running. I suggest you invest in a more dedicated security staff." Nakai set the coffee cup down. "I'll expect the payment within a week."  
  
"Of course. I know better than to cross a thief." The CEO stood, offering his hand. "Thank you. You've saved my company."  
  
Nakai ignored it. "May I ask you something?" He circled around to the front of the desk, the CEO watching him. "Did you hire Narumi Yu?"  
  
"The attacker?" The CEO dropped his hand, frowning. "No, why would I send someone to attack you? It would hardly benefit me to have you fail."  
  
"Unless it resulted in a scandal for your enemy, the server recovered by the police, and you free from having to pay the fee. But no," Nakai shook his head as the CEO paled. "You're a liar, but you do believe in honor. You rigged the security alarm to go off just after we'd reached the 42nd floor. Not enough time to get the server, but just enough to direct police attention to it. If you'd hired Narumi Yu, you'd have known his plan wasn't originally to attack anyone, but to steal the server in order to keep it safe."  
  
The CEO sank back down into his chair. "I see nothing honorable about it either way," he said weakly.  
  
"Because Narumi Yu had no intention of letting us escape," Nakai replied. He turned, heading for the door.  
  
The CEO lifted his head. "Is that why you came? To tell me that?"  
  
Nakai paused, glancing back. "My teammates may be honorable, but I believe in no such thing." He gave the man a humorless smile. "If you try to double-cross me or anyone I know again, there are no security systems that will be strong enough to protect you."  
  
The CEO watched him leave silently. After a long moment, he reached across the desk for his coffee, and returned to the task of managing his company's future.  
  
~  
  
"Got something for you." Mori leaned over the counter of Sweet Engine Coffee as Kimura closed up, beckoning Nakai over. He pulled a package from under the counter, flashing the contents just so that Nakai could catch a glimpse. "I checked the quality already, but I figured I'd leave the counting to you."  
  
"I'll have Goro do it, he enjoys that kind of thing." Nakai leaned on the counter. "Same cut for you as always?"  
  
"Take ten percent off this time," Mori replied, giving Nakai a grin. "Since you're just getting back on your feet." He set the package aside and straightened up. "By the way," he said, fiddling with one of his machines. "Whatever happened with the competing company? Did they get in trouble over the server?"  
  
"The police found evidence of a break-in, but the company's still refusing to say what was stolen." Nakai smiled in grim satisfaction. "Looks to become a pretty big scandal for them."  
  
"Then that's that, then," Mori concluded. He filled a cup with dark coffee straight from the machine and slid it across the counter. "Until the next one, anyway. Try that, it's a new blend I'm checking out."  
  
Nakai took a sip, smelling the aroma of the freshly-brewed coffee. Instead of the slightly bitter, chocolatey taste of Mori's usual blend, this one was brighter and faintly sweet, almost caramelly. "A little too sweet for me," he answered. "But your younger customers might like it."  
  
"What's too sweet?" Kimura came up behind Nakai, resting his hands on his shoulders and peeking around him. "Oh, lovely. _More_ coffee."  
  
"Hey, don't insult the business you work for." Nakai took another sip, ignoring the way Kimura's eyes jumped to his mouth. "Did you finish cleaning?"  
  
Kimura leaned against him, resting his chin on Nakai's head. "In a sec. You just got home." He wrapped his arms around Nakai's shoulders. "Y'know, there's one thing I still don't get. Why'd he attack you instead of me?"  
  
"Narumi?" Nakai passed the coffee back to Mori. "Who knows, maybe I really pissed him off in the elevator."  
  
Kimura _hmm_ ed doubtfully. "More than supposedly being betrayed by a former teammate? _I_ was the one he was calling a traitor."  
  
"Well, you did say he wanted to hurt you." Nakai leaned back into Kimura ever so slightly. "I guess he saw something that would hurt more than killing you."  
  
Kimura was quiet, watching Mori clean up behind the counter. He tightened his arms. "Tsuyoshi'll be home soon."  
  
"Mm." Nakai let Kimura stay like that for a moment longer, then smacked him on the hip. "So go finish cleaning up before Mori loses his patience."  
  
Kimura smacked him back, picking up his towel and heading back towards the tables. "Yeah, yeah."  
  
Nakai rested his elbow on the counter, looking over the cafe in the yellowing light. It still felt a bit like a dream, but this was the real world. He really _was_ home again.  
  
The bells on the door jingled. "Sorry, the cafe's closed--" Mori cut off as he glanced up. Nakai and Kimura were staring at the new customer.  
  
It was the girl from Sky Tree Labs, a bandage visible under the collar of her shirt. She bowed slightly.  
  
"I heard this was the place to come if one needs a certain type of help." She smiled. "I'd like to make a request."


End file.
